Every dedicated traveler has a preferred way of transport and moving around in a new city. Mine is the metro. I would like to think of a metro as a museum of the city life, that will take you somewhere differently. What you see in the metro is in fact the city itself- fashion, behavior, art, and culture. That's why one of the most memorable phrases when learning a foreign language, -after the greetings of course-, is the phrase “next station is…”. Naples has innovated he idea of marking the city metro stations as important places to visit, by making them attractive. The "art stations" of the Naples Metro are the stops you definitely have to make. Don’t miss out on visiting the most beautiful ones in Europe, the Toledo station and the Karim Rashid's creation, the University of Naples station.
More than 180 pieces of art created by 90 worldwide famous authors, are being displayed in the form of "interior creations", along the lines 1 and 6 of the Naples' metro network. This project, during which the subway stations turn into museums of art, was curated by Achille Bonito Oliva (Italian art critic who also directed the 45th Venice Biennale).
One of the most famous metro stations is the Toledo station, located on Line 1 of the Naples Metro, and named after the nearby Via Toledo. It is a design by Oscar Tusquets Blanca and it was awarded as the most beautiful metro station in Europe. The theme that this Barcelona based architect chose for the station is "water and light". The element of water is presented throughout the silver and blue mosaic while the light is the heart of the project, as the author himself describes. The natural light is canalised above the escalators that are leading on a level of 40 m under the ground. The presence of natural light allows the visitor to have a steady orientation of his position- this isn't an often case with metro stations, people often get disoriented.
By visiting this station you can expect one surreal experience, first, because it is in a place where you don't expect to meet a "perfect art", and secondly, because as said, it is just perfect. Right above the escalators, where the natural light is entering through a led lightened tunnel, you can have a sneak peek of the "universe". The best thing is that the escalator's view will just amaze you and you will be left with a big “wow” coming out of your mouth, as well as an impression of a lifetime.
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Zlata Golaboska
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